In Australia, we can often tell what state somebody is from based mostly on the phrases they use: whether or not they go to the seashore in “togs”, “bathers” or “swimmers” or if they like to eat a “potato cake”, “potato scallop” or “potato fritter”.
However in comparison with locations equivalent to the USA and United Kingdom, it may be tougher to listen to regional accent variations.
The relative uniformity of the Australian accent may be traced to our early European historical past, our youth as a nation and the sluggish tempo of language change.
However Australian regional accents are there for those who hear intently sufficient – and they’re getting stronger.
Delivery of the ‘uniform’ Aussie accent
Within the UK, George Bernard Shaw as soon as wrote:
It’s not possible for an Englishman to open his mouth with out making one other Englishman hate or despise him.
Some 1500 years of historical past will do this.
Within the US, “American English” dates to sixteenth/early seventeenth centuries, so settlement, historical past and depth of time have led to American regional variation.
For instance, within the US South, a phrase like “time” might be said like “tom” or “tam”, a phrase like “bait” may sound like “chunk” and a phrase like “sit” is likely to be heard as “see it”.
In Australia, English solely completely arrived with the First Fleet in 1788, and observers started to touch upon the uniformity of English from its early days. A visiting ship’s captain, James Dixon, wrote in 1822:
The youngsters born in these colonies, now grown up, converse a greater language, purer, extra harmonious than is usually the case in most components of England.
This didn’t mean Australian English was good. It simply wasn’t “tainted” with regional accents.
The formation of latest accents and languages typically comes right down to youngsters accommodating to 1 one other (attempting to sound like each other). However within the early days, these colonial youngsters had no Australian accent to accommodate to.
A linguistic melting pot
Early English-speaking Australians used a melting pot of features from London, Eire, Scotland, the West Country and East Anglia (amongst different locations).
We see this in Sydney court docket information such as this one, that includes an Irish lady, Margaret O’Brien:
On Monday night time quoth, Mrs O’Brien, my blessed husband went to Saint Pathrick’ a’cos ‘tis a taytotaler he’s […] I axked her in purlistest phrases the raison of her wiolence… Hevings forgive you, Mary Han, for telling sich a whopper; yer an hinnercent lady Mary Han.
O’Brien makes use of some Irish options like “raison” for “purpose” and “sich” for “such”. However she additionally makes use of “Cockney” options like “wiolence” for “violence” and “hinnercent” for “harmless”.
Linguists describe this as a “characteristic pool”. Over time, some options rise to the highest of the pool whereas others sink into obscurity.
The survivors turned “Australian English”.
Survival within the tumultuous characteristic pool is often a mix of “majority guidelines” and “status”.
Cockneys had been neither a majority nor prestigious in Australia, so it’s little surprise pronunciations like “wiolence” and “hinnercent” pale away.
Australia had many Irish settlers however their English wasn’t prestigious both. That stated, there is some evidence of Irish affect – as in the best way some Aussies say phrases like “haitch” and “filum” (for “movie”).
Majority didn’t always rule when it got here to deciding which options survived.
As soon as fashioned, the Australian accent stayed uniform for longer than you may anticipate.
It’s because early European Australia had a extremely cell inhabitants: they typically caught near the coast and travelled from port to port. After they travelled inland, they typically did it collectively and in blended firm.
Australian English additionally stayed uniform longer as a result of quite a lot of Aussies continued to look to Britain for his or her accent cues – some till the Nineteen Eighties.
Early variations in Australian English had been largely related to social teams or whether or not one favoured British-like pronunciations or Australian-like pronunciations.
Earlier than regional variation can flourish, English audio system should settle into secure and self-confident use of the native selection. To those ends, Australians have finally arrived.
Australian regional accents
The seeds for regional variation in Australia had been planted early on. But, as in any backyard, it could possibly take some time for them to bloom: a language wants time, endurance and the correct social situations.
South Australia was settled later than different colonies and by free settlers, who used newer pronunciations from the British homeland.
South Australians are apt to pronounce phrases like “fortress”, “dance” and “probability” with an extended “ah” sound (as most English audio system pronounce “palm”).
In distinction, in Tasmania, these phrases are more apt to be pronounced with a shorter, flatter “a” sound (as most English audio system pronounce “entice”) – the older pronunciation.
In different components of Australia, it’s extra difficult.
Folks in Brisbane and Sydney tend to follow the Tasmanian sample. In Melbourne, a majority appear to observe the shorter, flatter “entice” pronunciation. Nevertheless, Melburnians can also use, or shift into the “palm” pronunciation in additional formal conditions.
Past these early seeds, Australians are beginning to domesticate homegrown improvements. Linguists working with subtle applied sciences have began to notice subtle regional differences.
As an illustration, you could discover Victorians have begun to say the phrases “wage” and “celery” the identical manner. This vowel “merger” means many an “Ali” has obtained a espresso cup with “Eli” written on it in “Malbourne”.
Regional accents begin as a wispy whisper. Put your ear to the wind and also you simply might hear them. However for a regional accent to really flourish, you want a agency nationwide id, regional rivalries and a heavy dollop of time.
Preserve your ears peeled.
